It was a clear and calm evening as Applejack returned to the farm after spending the better part of the day at Pinkie’s party for her pet alligator’s birthday. Her tired legs pulled her along to the house, sore from all the dancing she’d done.

Stepping into the kitchen, she was greeted by the scent of something sweet baking in the oven.

“Hmm… that’s smells good,” the apple mare muttered to herself before she trotted further into the house and called out. “Hey Granny, watcha bakin’?”

“Ah ain’t bakin’ nothin’, dearie,” the elderly mare’s voice replied from another room. “That’s yer cousin and her friends’ doin’.”

“Beg pardon?” Applejack’s eyebrow rose just before she heard a quiet creaking coming from behind her. Turning around, she saw the snowy white coat of Winter Gem emerging from one the lower cupboards.

“Hi there, Cousin,” Gem said as she dusted herself off. “How’s your day going?”

“Pretty good, Cuz.” Applejack smiled as she trotted over to the blonde mare. “Likin’ the new hair cut yah got and Ah’m glad yer helpin’ with Pinkie’s party tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Applejack,” Gem said before pulling the orange mare into a hug. “After Pinkie threw that party for us in Vanhoover and what you guys did in the empire, there’s no way we’d miss this.”

“So,” Applejack awkwardly said as she pulled out of the hug. “Mind tellin’ me why you were hidin’ in a cupboard?”

“Swift told us how Pinkie seems to be able to sense ponies coming into Ponyville, we tried to stay hidden in case she came around,” a masculine voice with a distinct Trottingham accent came from another one of the cupboards.

“Swift even had us tuck and roll off the train a couple miles before we reached the town’s limits,” a second stallion’s voice joined in.

“In my defense,” a fancy, feminine voice chipped in before a sky blue unicorn emerged from another cupboard. “I have had experience with visiting Ponyville before and have seen Pinkie’s skills first hoof. If we’re going to surprise her, stealth should be our watchword.”

“Oh, by the way,” a third stallion’s voice chipped in from one of the smaller cupboards. “Wind Whistler’s upstairs playing with Apple Bloom and her friends.”

“Well… glad yer all here then.” Applejack smiled as one by one, the three ponies emerged from their hiding places. “So, watcha got bakin’ here?”

“Oh, just an idea I got from a baker in Vanhoover.” Verdant said as he did some quick stretches. “It’s a special cake that I’ll pop out of for Pinkie. I was told some mares like having a stallion jump out of their cakes.”

“Ah see…” the orange mare nodded. “Well, just try to keep things clean in case the fillies come in.”

“No problem, Applejack,” Verdant threw out a salute. “I’ll make sure I’m spotless before going in. I don’t want any of the cake to go to waste.”

“At any rate, Twilight’s pickin’ up a cake fer Pinkie tomorrow, so Ah guess a second cake might be a good idea considerin’ all the guests.”

“Indeed, Applejack,” Swift said as she trotted up to Applejack’s side. “Rest assured, Pinkie will have a wonderful birthday tomorrow.”

The next morning, the five privates were all hidden within the barn, a wall of haystacks serving as their hiding place of choice as well as keeping the decorations and the cake they’d made hidden from sight.

Through a small gap in the stacks, Winter Gem spotted Applejack approaching with several carts overstuffed with apples when she spotted the pink coated birthday girl emerge from a haystack outside.

“Huh, oh hi, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack’s voice made the privates stand stock still. “What brings you ‘round these parts?”

“Who’s ready to shake their hoof-thang?!” the party mare exuberantly exclaimed and hopped. She pulled one of the pink envelopes from the basket on her head and held it out the the orange Apple.

“It’s an invitation to Gummy’s ‘after-birthday’ party this afternoon.” Pinkie was practically glowing with excitement as she bounced in front of the stunned farmer. “There’s gonna be dancing, and games, and cake, and ice cream, and punch!”

“This afternoon?” Applejack stuttered as she backed up. “A-as in, “this afternoon” this afternoon?”

“That’s funny,” Pinkie sounded surprised as she raised a hoof to her chin. “That’s just what Twilight said,” her voice once again became a source of boundless excitement as she continued. “And the answer is, “Yes! It’s this afternoon.”

Sweat quickly started to gather on Applejack’s brow as she tried to further back away. “Uh, well… Ah… Ah… uh…”

Behind the haystacks, Winter Gem grimaced at her cousin’s display and quietly smacked a hoof against her forehead.

“Ah don’t think Ah can make it ‘cause…” Applejack nervously paused as she tried to do what she did worst. “Uh… Ah have to… uh... uh, you know what? Ah… uh… pick apples!” Her voice became somewhat more confident, even as she was pouring sweat like a leaky fountain. “Yep, apples! ‘Cause that’s what we do! With the… apples. We, uh… pick ‘em!”

Applejack put on the best smile she could to help sell her lie, meaning she would easily lose her life savings if she were playing poker.

A tense silence held in the air as Pinkie stared at the nervous Apple as she gulped, until…

“Okey-dokey-lokey!” Pinkie merrily said as she began to walk away. “A party’s still a party, even if there’s only three guests.”

Just as Applejack let out a sigh of relief, the pink mare suddenly leapt back in front of her face.

“By the way, my Pinkie sense told me a bunch of new ponies who’ve never been to Ponyville arrived recently and are somewhere near here.” Pinkie’s cheerful tone made the former soldiers all tense, their legs ready to leap into the hay at a moment’s notice. “Do you know where I could find them?”

“Uh…” Applejack bit her lip and looked away from Pinkie’s gaze. “Can’t say Ah do, Pinkie.”

“Oh well, thanks anyway.” Pinkie smiled as she started to bounce away. “Next stop, Rarity’s!”

Though Pinkie soon disappeared from sight, the privates and Applejack waited several more minutes until they felt they were in the clear.

“Now that was way too close fer comfort,” Applejack said as she pulled into the barn and began detaching the carts.

“No kidding,” Winter Gem said, looking up over the haystacks. “We’ll try to get everything ready for Pinkie’s party ASAP, Applejack.”

“Much obliged, guys,” Applejack wiped her forehead and headed to the carts. “While yer doing that, Ah’ll be handling this stuff.”

The morning slowly turned to afternoon for the privates as they worked on getting the barn set up. Fortunately, as the day rolled on, more ponies came to the barn to help with their preparations. The first was Twilight Sparkle, followed a few minutes later by Fluttershy and Rarity.

“Thanks for accepting again, Swiftsword,” Rarity said as she examined the sky blue mare. “By the way, I really like your new manestyle. It looks rather nice on you.”

“Why thank you, Rarity.” Swift grabbed Rarity’s hoof and gave it a quick shake. “By the way have you lost weight?”

Before she could reply, a loud yell came from outside. From within the barn, they could not only see Applejack trotting up, but two streaks racing over the hills towards them. One in a rainbow of colors, and the other in the most terrifying shade of pink they had ever seen.

“Applejack, we’ve got a problem!” Rainbow screeched as Pinkie trailed closely behind the speeding pegasus.

Applejack gasped in shock at the sight just as Rainbow flew into the barn. The farmer mare ran close behind her, slamming the door shut. Barely an instant passed before Pinkie started loudly knocking on the door with her face.

“Quickly” Swiftsword whispered, her fellows grabbing the non-Applejack ponies and dragging them behind the bales of hay.

“I know you’re IN THERE!” Pinkie bellowed from behind the door.

With a nervous swallow, Applejack slowly opened the upper half of the barn door a crack. “Oh! Howdy, partner.”

“Mind if I…” Pinkie leaned closer, trying to get a better look. “Take a look inside the barn?”

“No! Uh, Ah mean, yes, Ah mean…” the farmer nervously stumbled over her words. “You can’t come in here!”

“Rainbow Dash just went in there.” Pinkie gave Applejack a harsh glare.

“Oh, well, she was just bringin' in some... supplies! Yup, supplies for the... renovation!” Applejack’s eyes slightly brightened as she thought up a half-decent lie. “Fixin' up the whole thing, top to bottom... uh, lots of construction goin' on in there right now.”

Before Rainbow could utter a word in response, the blue aura of Swiftsword’s magic snapped her mouth shut while the unicorn pulled a serrated dagger from mane and started sawing into one of the spare planks.

Forge pulled a hammer from his bags and started to strike the wall while Gem and Verdant quickly and loudly set up a ladder.

“Ey,” Hat Trick affected a deep tone and a thick Manehattan accent, “Could somepony pass me a five and three quarter incher? Dez bolts ain’t gonna tighten themselves.”

“Yup! Construction! That's my story, and Ah'm stickin' to it.” Applejack nervously chuckled as she looked Pinkie in the glaring eye before nervously swallowing.

After a moment of tension thick enough for Swift to cut it with her sword, the glaring pink mare started to trot away. “Okey… dokey… lokey…”

Applejack sighed in relief, only to instantly find Pinkie right up in her face, staring at her with their snouts touching before she started to leave once more.

Once Pinkie was far enough away, the ponies in the barn all gave a sigh of relief.

“Well that was close to bein’ a constipation cure,” Applejack said as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Pinkie was close to ruining the surprise.” Twilight’s magic moved some of the haystacks aside. “By the way, Rainbow, is the cake okay?”

“Check it out,” Dash cockily replied as she pulled the remarkably intact cake with Pinkie’s face on it from her saddlebags. “Even pulling all that speed, the cake’s still perfect!”

“Great job, Dash,” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “We’re perfectly on schedule for Pinkie’s birthday party.”

“Right, everypony!” Applejack called out, making the privates stand at attention. “Now let’s git everythin’ set up fer a party that’ll knock the socks off Pinkie fer years to come!”

With that, the collected ponies quickly set about decorating the barn with the earth ponies and unicorns setting up tables, presents and balloons while the pegasi handled the banners.

“Nice work, everypony,” Twilight cheered as she took in the sight of the barn, covered in a wide assortment of colorful banners, streamers and balloons while a large stack of presents were neatly set up on a table. “Now the only thing left to do is to bring the birthday girl here.”

“I’m on it!” Dash said with a salute. “I’ll get her here in a flash!” She cockily grinned as she flew out the barn door, taking off like a cannonball.

“Now all that’s left is to get into the special cake.” Verdant said as he climbed a step ladder and took off the cake’s top.

“Now remember, whatever performance yer doin’, keep it PG, alright?” Applejack said as the shamrock stallion clambered into the cake.

“Do you mean a modern PG or a PG from a couple decades ago?” Forge asked as his horn lit and a fiery orange glow placed the cake’s top back. “Snow’s shown me there’s apparently a pretty big difference.”

Applejack sighed as she trotted away. “Least the party should be kickin’ soon and then we got the gala comin’ up after this.”

“Oh, you’re going too?” Gem smiled as she trotted up to the orange mare’s side. “What do you plan on doing there, Applejack?”

Applejack also smiled with pride and polished her hoof on her chest. “Ah’m planning on settin’ up a cart at the gala to sell some of mah apple treats and bring in a ton of bits to spruce things up here. We might even get Granny a new hip.”

“You plan on setting up a food selling stand…” Winter Gem tilted her head in confusion. “To a catered event?”

“Well, I-”

“In addition,” Swiftsword interjected, cutting off the farm mare. “Based on my history with the Grand Galloping Gala, most ponies don’t bring their bit bags to such events, meaning somepony buying food seems rather unlikely to me.”

“Well...” Applejack nervously rubbed her foreleg. “Maybe stuff’s changed and it will pan out?”

“I hope so, for your sake.” Swift gently placed a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. “After all, it would be bad to pay for the permits without turning some kind of profit.”

“Wait, what permits are you talkin’ ‘bout?” Applejack suddenly backed away from Swift’s grasp with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, you’d obviously need some permits to allow that sort of thing.” Swift drew closer to Applejack. “First of all, a permit to sell food.”

“Ah’ve already got one of those,” Applejack said with clear annoyance.

“For Canterlot, though?” Swift asked in concern. “Things may have changed, but I believe you would need a permit for whatever city or town you’re hoping to sell food in. Not to mention the permit to set up such a thing on the palace grounds.”

“Don’t forget the receipt of declared commerce since you’ll be crossing rural lines,” Verdant chimed in from the cake. “My mother always stressed how those sorts of things are important.”

Applejack glumly turned her gaze to the floor for a moment before Gem walked up and gave her shoulder a pat.

A few minutes passed while the gathered ponies waited until they heard a grunting sound outside.

“We’re… here…” Rainbow’s voice was heard before the barn door started to open.

“Surprise!” the element bearers and privates shouted in unison as Pinkie started to come into the lavishly decorated barn. However, the pink party pony was perplexingly non-preppy. Her coat and mane both seemed a lot darker with normally poofy curls looking straight and deflated. What was most surprising to them was the expression on her face was one her friends rarely saw; anger.

“I really thought she’d be more excited,” Fluttershy stated softly as she looked to a nervous Twilight.

“Excited? Excited?!” Pinkie furiously bellowed. “Excited to attend my own farewell party?!”

“Farewell party?” Twilight asked in a mix of shock and confusion.

“Yes! You don't like me anymore, so you decided to kick me out of the group and throw a great, big party to celebrate!” She exclaimed before flailing her forelegs and turning away from her friends. “A "Farewell to Pinkie Pie" party!”

“Why in the world would you think we didn't like you anymore, sugarcube?” Applejack walked up to Pinkie’s side, only to get a glare.

“Why? Why? Why?!” Her glare shifted from one attendee to another. “Because you've been lying to me and avoiding me all day, that's why!”

“Uh, yeah!” Rainbow casually said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Because we wanted your party to be a surprise.”

“We'd been planning this party for such a long time, we had to make excuses for why we couldn't attend Gummy's party so that we could get everything ready for yours.” Rarity offered Pinkie a soft smile as she moved in closer to her.

“We even did our best to remain out of sight so this would be an even bigger surprise.” Swiftsword said from behind Twilight.

“If this is a farewell party,” Twilight strolled over to a table with a single layer cake upon it. “why does the cake I picked up from Sugarcube Corner say "Happy Birthday, Pinkie Pie"?”

Pinkie bit her lip as she looked about the barn, carefully taking in the sights of decorations and a large stack of presents before she slowly walked over to the table with the yellow and purple frosted cake. In the center of the cake was the image of a smiling Pinkie Pie with exactly what Twilight had said.

The glum looking earth pony literally brightened up as her mane seemed to inflate back to its normal poofy and curly self with a loud squeak. “Because it's my birthday! Ooh, how could I have forgotten my own birthday?”

The gathered guests gave a sigh of relief just before they found themselves swept up in Pinkie’s stretchy forelegs for a bone-crushing hug.

“And you like me so much you decided to throw me a surprise party!” Pinkie said as she hopped away from the nine ponies, scattering them about the barn floor.

“That's what we've been trying to tell you, darling,” Rarity wheezed as she pulled herself up and dusted off her coat.

“You girls are the best friends ever!” Pinkie exuberantly exclaimed. “How could I have ever doubted you?”

“It's okay, Pinkie Pie. It could have happened to any of us.” Twilight grinned as she trotted over to the birthday girl as the other element bearers chimed in similar comments.

“I kinda doubt it,” Hatty muttered before Forge elbowed him into silence.

“I'm just glad I haven't been replaced by a bucket of turnips,” Dash chipped in, much to the confusion of Twilight and Swift. Seeing the surprise in the unicorns’ face, Dash spoke up. “You don't wanna know.”

“All right, everypony! Enough of this gab,” Applejack called out before turning on a record player and filling the room with festive music. “Let’s party!”

The ponies all gave a cheer before Swiftsword slung a shoulder around Pinkie shoulder. “Before we get to opening your presents, my friends and I have put something together for you.”

Swift gently lead the pink mare along, idly noting how she seemed to bounce with every step towards a table at the back. Pinkie’s eyes seemed to sparkle as she took in the sight before her.

Upon the table was a pink three-tiered cake with white frosting on each layer. It wasn’t nearly as well done as what Mr. and Mrs. Cake would make, but its was clearly something they put a lot of effort and care into making nonetheless.

“We heard of an interesting custom with modern desserts for adult mares,” Swift started to say, not seeing Pinkie Pie preparing to pounce on the pink pastry. “So we thought what better way to celebrate your birthday than to make one of these cakes with a delightful surprise insi-”

The unicorn was cut off as the party mare leapt past her, flying up towards the ceiling before spinning about and dive bombing the cake with her jaws opened wide.

In an instant, where a cake once stood now laid only a very happy Pinkie Pie, licking her lips and showing no sign she’d just eaten a cake that was bigger than she was.

The sight was such a shock to the gathered guests that Applejack didn’t pay attention to where she was walking, bumping into the record playing and knocking the needle off.

“That was a scrumdiddlyumptious cake you guys made,” Pinkie said, seemingly oblivious to the shocked looks on everypony’s faces. “So, what was that surprise you said was inside, Swift?”

“Umm…” Swiftsword nervously bit her lip as her eye’s focused on Pinkie’s belly.

Verdant found his whole world seemed to shake and tumble about, feeling like the cake he was hiding in had been bucked to the other side of Ponyville.

After a few intense moments, the sudden and rough movements came to a halt with the top of the cake being knocked aside.

“Whoa, you girls must party harder than I remembered,” Verdant uttered as he pulled himself up to look out of the cake’s rim. His eyes then dilated in shock at the world around him. He found himself suddenly in a massive chamber of flesh that was bigger than Applejack’s barn and filled with things that seemed to be massive pieces of food, with even a single chocolate chip or strawberry now being bigger than him.

“Oh, Faust curse it!” the shamrock stallion angrily exclaimed. “How’d I even get shrunk this time?!”

“Uh… Raspberry jelly!” Swift said with the widest grin she could muster. “We worked extra hard on it.”

“Well I’d say you guys did a really good job on it.” Pinkie rolled off the table back onto her hooves. “By the way, where’s Verdant? I figured he’d be with you guys.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s around somewhere.” Swiftsword scratched the back of her neck. “Excuse me for a second, I need to speak to Twilight.” The sky colored unicorn stated before leading the stunned violet mare over to a more secluded part of the barn.

“Twilight, I pray you know of a way to get Verdant out of there,” Swift whispered, her tone filled with concern for her comrade. “I don’t want my friend to be stuck in another stomach any longer than necessary.”

“Okay… I’ll try to think of something,” the violet mare whispered back as she observed Pinkie going about the party with nary a trace of the large amount she ingested having an impact on her figure. “Is Pinkie’s stomach dimensionally transcendental?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea what that even means. I just wish to save my friend.”

“Alright, I think I’ve got a plan,” Twilight whispered before waving over a still shocked Applejack. “AJ, I think I know how to save Verdant. Do you have a pie tin and a can of whipped cream?”

“Uh… yeah,” the farm mare responded, still somewhat stunned. “There should be plenty o’ pie tins and whipped cream at the house. Just help yerself.”

“Thanks, Applejack.” Twilight’s horn began to shimmer a brilliant magenta. “I should be back in a few seconds.” In a bright flash, the violet unicorn had disappeared.

“So…” Applejack gave her foreleg a awkward rub. “This have somethin’ to do with that ‘snack-sized stallion’ thing that Pinkie mentioned back in the empire?”

“Yes, it does.” Swift gave her a nod before taking a deep breath. “You see, centuries ago on Butterfly Island…”

Pinkie was having a blast as she danced about with her friends, though she was somewhat bothered by an awkward air that seemed to be lingering over the party.

Still, it was a nice surprise her friends had thrown for her and she was savoring every moment of it.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Applejack called over the festive music. “We’ve got another special treat for ya!”

The pink mare’s ears instantly perked up before she spun around to face her fellow earth pony. She found Applejack and Swiftsword with a pie that had an absurd amount of whipped cream between them.

“Ooohhh! That looks like a really nice pie!” Pinkie said as she stalked over to the dessert that seemed to be somewhat shaking. “What flavor is it?”

“Um… grape!” Swift answered as quickly as she could. “Yes, we thought a grape pie would be something the birthday girl might enjoy.”

“You would be right!” Pinkie replied as she stepped down on the edge of the tin, launching the pie and it’s contents into the air before swallowing them whole. “Deeee-lish!”

Down in the belly of the beast, Verdant had spent his time climbing up several of the piled desserts, hoping to get closer to the stomach’s upper valve. Sadly, his efforts were fruitless as he stood atop a strawberry. Even with how far he’d climbed, he was barely at the halfway point to the high sphincter.

“Looks like the back door’s the only way out for me…” Verdant grumbled as he started to hop back down. “Again.”

Just as he reached the fleshy floor, a rumbling came from above and something was spat into the stomach in front of him. What had landed before him was Twilight Sparkle, groaning as she pulled her cream and crust covered self back to her hooves.

“Are you okay, Twilight?” the shamrock stallion inquired as he rushed over to her side.

“I’ve been better,” Twilight replied as she rolled her shoulders before looking around the massive chamber that was Pinkie’s stomach. “Dear Faust...”

“I know, it’s surprising to learn that either Pinkie’s body shrank us or that her stomach’s dimensionally transcendental.” Verdant calmly said as he tried to brush some of the whipped cream from Twilight’s coat.

“Indeed. Clearly further study would be needed...” Twilight’s gaze soon wandered back to the two of them. “But we’ll save that for another time. I’ll teleport the two of us out of here and we’ll be back to the party in seconds.”

“Oh, thank you!” Verdant said in relief before pulling Twilight into a tight embrace. “I really didn’t want to go through a mare’s butt for a third time.”

“Alright, let’s…Wait third?” Twilight had a look of confusion before shaking her head and lighting her horn. “Nevermind. Let’s get out of here!”

The light of Twilight’s horn bathed the stomach in a bright light and the two to vanish in a flash… only to reappear at the top of the stomach before falling down onto the tops of some cupcakes.

“I… I don’t understand…” Twilight said with a note of fear as she shook the frosting from her coat. “I should have been able to teleport out of here like it was nothing.”

“That is weird,” Verdant replied, pulling himself off the pastry. “What could be the cause of this?”

With a sigh, Twilight brought a hoof to her forehead. “I’m afraid it’s just another one of the mysteries of Pinkie.”

A few minutes had passed and Swiftsword was growing more anxious as Pinkie happily danced and opened presents.

“Something is clearly wrong,” the sky colored unicorn whispered into Applejack’s ear. “Twilight should have been back long before now.”

“Ah know, sugarcube.” Applejack gave a swallow. “Ah’m worried too.”

“Worried about what?” Pinkie suddenly burst up between the two, giving both a start. “Is this about where Twilight’s gone?”

“Well, yeah, to be honest.” Applejack gave her neck a nervous rub as she and Swift faced her. “Y’see…”

“Pinkie, it wasn’t raspberry jelly that was inside the cake, but Verdant.” Swift stepped closer to the party mare. “He was supposed to jump out and dance to surprise you, but you devoured it far too quickly.”

Pinkie Pie’s jaw suddenly slammed down into the barn floor like a ton of bricks.

“Furthermore, Twilight had covered herself in whipped cream and disguised herself as a pie so you’d swallow her so she could teleport herself and Verdant out.” Swift took a deep breath to maintain her composure. “Unfortunately, she has not teleported out, meaning something must be preventing her from doing so.”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie bellowed in shock. “Holy guacamole, this is bad! This isn’t what most ponies mean when they wish to get a pony or two inside them on their birthday!”

“I...I will take your word for that, Pinkie.” Swift nervously nodded her head. “Regardless, now that you know what’s going on, we know what we have to do.”

“Absolutely, there’s only one thing we can do,” Pinkie sternly said as she marched herself over to the table, stopping directly in front of the punch bowl. “Since they can’t be at the party, I’ll have to bring the party to them!”

“Wait, what?” Swift tilted her head in surprise and Pinkie lifted up the punch bowl.

“Pinkie Pie Punch Pool Party!” the excited mare yelled before dunking her head into the bowl, guzzling down the fruity drink in a matter of seconds.

“There. Now they can have some real fun down there,” Pinkie proudly said before letting out a tiny burp. “Oh, excuse me.”

“Well, it sounds like Pinkie at least has an idea about what to do,” Verdant said, his ear tilted towards the upper opening.

“I sure hope so,” Twilight said as she wandered about to stomach, stopping in front of the lower sphincter.

“SINCE THEY CAN’T BE AT THE PARTY, I’LL HAVE TO BRING THE PARTY TO THEM!”

Twilight gave a swallow while Verdant’s eyes became the size of saucers. “That can’t be good,” the two said in a frightened harmony.

“PINKIE PIE PUNCH POOL PARTY!” the party mare’s words thundered all about and a rumbling soon followed. The two quickly learned the source of the rumbling as the top of the stomach opened up and gallons of fruit juice flooded into the fleshly chamber, sweeping the two up in its current.

Once the rushing rapids stopped, the two were able to breach the surface and clamber onto the stick of a lollipop. The pair sputtered and coughed as they clung to digesting treat.

“So,” Twilight wheezed between coughs. “Any ideas on how to get out?”

“Sadly, yes.” Verdant gave a resigned sigh before pointing to the now underwater orifice. Twilight groaned in disgust before smacking her head into the stick.

“Miss Pie.” Swift bit her lip as trotted up to her side. “As much as my companions and I would love to continue to party, we need to get on the train back to Vanhoover soon if we want to be back before midnight.”

“Oh! That gives me a great idea!” Pinkie leapt over Swift’s head, bouncing over to the front door. “C’mon, everypony! Grab the snacks and presents since we’re bringing it with us! All aboard the party train!” She tossed the barn doors open and was about to bolt away when she spotted a small blue pegasus filly with a pink mane and tail that was covered in an equally pink sticky gum.

“Um, guys… the Crusaders and I had a little accident…”

Hours went by as Verdant and Twilight delved through Pinkie Pie’s body, with the only light being provided by the unicorn’s horn.

Much to the great relief of the tiny twosome, the pink pony’s body was surprisingly clean and empty as they journeyed through her large intestine.

“Y’know,” Verdant broke the silence as he followed Twilight. “All things considered, this is probably the most pleasant time I’ve had being eaten.”

“Well, I hope I don’t get more examples to compare this to,” Twilight replied, looking over her shoulder at the earth pony. The moment she looked towards him, she felt the tip of her horn hitting something soft and fleshy.

Taking a step back, the pair saw the tunnel ahead seemed to grow smaller and smaller, becoming barely enough for a crawling pony.

“Guess Pinkie being bigger on the inside had to end at some point…” Twilight nervously said as slowly approached the tighter tunnel.

“At least this means this whole thing’s almost over,” Verdant tried to sound reassuring as he and Twilight crouched down and slowly started to crawl ahead.

On an evening train that was racing towards Vanhoover, the element bearers and the former soldiers were sitting within a few cabins in the train cars, partaking in whatever snacks remained from Pinkie’s party.

“Thanks again for taking care of the gum, Miss Rarity,” Wind Whistler said from Swiftsword’s side, running a hoof through her now much shorter mane.

“Oh, my pleasure, dear,” the alabaster unicorn waved from the other side of the cabin. “I just wish that Sweetie and the others weren’t so completely covered.”

“Well, Ah’m sure that their coats’ll grow back before winter sets in.” Applejack stretched against the cabin’s seat. “And if they don’t, that just means yah get to whip up some nice winter clothes for them.”

“Say, does thinking of winter make anypony else think of ice cr-” Pinkie’s words were suddenly cut off as she felt a strong pressure in her hindquarters.

“Gotta go, guys. I think Twilight and Verdant are about done!” The party mare took off like a bolt of lightning, leaving a trail of pink dust and glitter behind her as she whizzed past the train attendant and her small cart, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

As the room started to stop spinning for the attendant mare, she heard a loud groaning coming from the small bathroom.

“Miss?” the unicorn mare cautiously approached the source of the noise, pulling her cart along behind her. “Are you okay in there?”

After one more groan and a sigh of relief, the door popped open with a trio of ponies tumbling out.

“I’m okay!” the pink pony weakly said and waved. “I just need a donut something fierce.”

The attendant’s horn lit a light green as she pulled an inflated ring cushion from the cart… only to find the pink mare snatching an actual donut from the cart.

“Ah, much better,” the plump pink pony happily said, trotting away as if nothing happened.

“Miss, could my friend and I please have some drinks?” the lavender mare weakly started to stand up. “I have the feeling we’re going to need it.”

“You can have it, Twilight,” her green companion said as he rolled onto his belly. “I’ll just raid Barrier’s liquor cabinet when we get home.”

Author's Notes:

Hey folks, welcome back to another chapter of Stomach Stallion. Sorry this took so long. My only excuse is that chapters based on actual episodes take a lot longer to do because I find them so draining.

At any rate, time to vote for the next chapter.

Swift Snort (AP): Verdant is training with his fellow soldiers on Butterfly Island and we see one of the misadventures there.A Mid-Summer Night's Tasty Dream: Verdant volunteers for a long range teleportation experiment, only to end up tiny and in the cabin of Fluttershy, who thinks she's having a very nice/private dream.Oh, cud!: Verdant finds himself reduced to the size of a pea stuck on a piece of grass when his cow neighbor, Bea Wellington, stops by.Betty: The Last Cutesaur: Verdant is recruited by Daring Do to explore an island full of long lost flora and fauna, only to encounter a creature that supposedly went extinct eons ago.Verdant and the Beanstalk: Returning to the teleportation lab, Verdant prepares for another try, only for something to happen on the floor below.Bibinba's Inside Story: While playing Marinara Party with some friends of his, Verdant accidentally lands on the wrong space and finds himself staring down an imposing longma.Deep Into Darkness: Princess Luna has become a powerful being of darkness named Nightmare Moon, making her too fast for Celestia to blast with the elements. However, the princess has a plan involving the skills of a certain green stallion.Lovely Nights and New Beginnings: Princess Cadance and Shining Armor want to have a foal, but are having some troubles. However, things take a turn for the better when Cadance learns of a shrinking stallion.Dog Day Afternoon: On a day out, Verdant finds himself stumbling upon a patch of Shrinking Violets... and a rather hungry Diamond Dog.Twilight Tour: After an accident with a flower cart, Verdant owes his friends a favor. Now Verdant has to go on a special roller coaster designed to teach ponies about anatomy. A roller coaster ride through Princess Twilight Sparkle. - Based on a piece of art by PonyThroat. Used with permission.Tales from the Mirrorverse - Antacid's Creed: In a world where everypony's evil, Verdant wants to get himself a high ranking position in Celestia's forces. What better way to prove he can sneak into anywhere than sneaking into the princess herself?

Remember, only vote for one chapter to avoid possibly ties. At any rate, I hope to see you all again (and hopefully much sooner than last time) for the next chapter, an alternate ending for A First Time for Everything. See ya then!